A leading tertiary institution in cutting edge contemporary arts and design education and practice, LASALLE offers more than 30 different programmes and is led by a community of award-winning artists, designers, educators and researchers.

With a wide range of programmes in a world-class campus, you can expect an unparalleled arts education that’s designed to nurture your passion for the arts and push the boundaries of creative excellence.

From the performing arts to visual arts, our Schools are at the forefront of the contemporary arts scene in Singapore. Learn more about how each School is shaping the arts scene locally and internationally.

Cultural Medallion & Young Artist Award

The Cultural Medallion was instituted in 1979 to recognise individuals whose artistic excellence, as well as contribution and commitment to the arts. have enriched and distinguished Singapore’s arts and cultural landscape. The Cultural Medallion is presented by the President, Republic of Singapore and administered by the National Arts Council.

The Young Artist Award was introduced in 1992 to encourage the development of young artistic talents in Singapore. The award is accorded to young artists aged 35 years and below in the year of award, who have shown promise of artistic excellence in the fields of literary arts, performing arts, visual arts and film. It encourages young practitioners to continue pursuing excellence in the arts, and to look towards inspiring others.

Young Artist Award

2018

Winner

Sufri Juwahir
BA(Hons) Dance, Class of 2013

Photo courtesy of the National Arts Council.

Mohamad Sufri Juwahir is a dancer-choreographer who began his roots on the streets as a hip-hop performer. His passion for the art form saw him expanding his range into the contemporary genre, ballet, and subsequently Indian classical bharatanatyam dance when he served as principal dancer with Maya Dance Theatre.

Following his graduation from LASALLE, he co-founded Soul Signature with partner Sheridan Newman to create evocative and enriching performances. Together, the duo has choreographed and performed award-winning works such as Decipher, which won three prizes at the 31st International Competition for Choreography in Germany, and conducts regular classes to train contemporary dance enthusiasts.

Hilmi Johandi
MA Fine Arts, Class of 2018

Photo courtesy of the National Arts Council.

Hilmi Johandi's artistic practice explores interventions that are associated within the domain of framing, fragmentation (deconstruction) and compression (reconstruction). In peeling away at archival images and footages of Singapore from yesteryears, his paintings and mixed-media outcomes are self-referential and critical in their take on the long-term social effects of rapid modernisation.

Beyond exhibiting his works at the Singapore Art Museum, Affordable Art Fair, and Art Stage Singapore, Hilmi has also shown at Saatchi Gallery's Start Art Fair in London, Fred Torres Gallery in New York and Galerie Frederic Lacroix in Paris. When not working on research for his next project, or partaking in international residencies, Hilmi serves as a part-time lecturer at LASALLE.

Zulkifli Mohamed Amin
Diploma in Music, Class of 2004

Photo courtesy of the National Arts Council.

Zulkifli Mohamed Amin is widely acknowledged as a proponent of Malay music and traditional instruments, having served as music director of the youth section of Orkestra Melayu Singapura since its inception in 2005 till present.

In 2015, he embarked on a new project, co-founding Nusantara Arts as a platform for young musicians to hone their musical sound and voice, and collaborate with artists from other disciplines. The company draws influences from the Malay Archipelago and mould them into something that is uniquely Singaporean.

Young Artist Award

2014

Winner

Ian Loy
Diploma in Drama, Class of 2002

Ian is a theatre actor, playwright and director who specialises in children’s theatre. It was at LASALLE that Ian began his passionate pursuit of theatre and performance. During those formative years, he trained with the Asia-in-Theatre Research Centre (ATRC) under the tutelage of LASALLE lecturer Elizabeth de Roza and the late William Teo.

He is also the Founder and Artistic Director of MySuperFuture Theatrical Productions, which produces theatre for and with young audiences. From 2009 to 2013, he directed PLAYtime!, an Esplanade programme aimed at cultivating an appreciation for theatre among children aged 2-4 years. With PLAYtime!, Ian conceptualised and directed more than 10 well-received original productions and collaborated with Australia’s Patch Theatre Company on the mOOn ballOOn Project (2013) that boasted five sold-out performances at Esplanade’s annual children’s festival, Octoburst. He was also a recipient of the Georgette Chen Arts Scholarship, awarded by the National Arts Council (NAC).

Jow Zhi Wei
BA(Hons) Film, Class of 2010

Zhi Wei is a filmmaker, whose work is focused on telling honest stories of lesser-known communities. His films have been screened at local film festivals such as the Singapore Short Cuts and National Museum Singapore (2009, 2010 and 2013), and selected for competition and presentation at various international film festivals including the 66th Cannes Film Festival (2013) and 37th Montreal World Film Festival (2013).

Lee Mun Wai
Diploma in Dance, Class of 2006

Lee Mun Wai is a founding member, and was a full-time dance artist and dance writer, at T.H.E Dance Company. He has performed over 20 dance works with the company and has toured extensively at festivals in South Korea, France, China, Poland and more.

Technical finesse and style, marked by a unique fluidity and acute sense of musicality, distinguish Mun Wai's dance artistry. As a choreographer, he is known to be a highly collaborative artist who works across disciplines, such as with local filmmaker Royston Tan on his Singapore Biennale work Ghost of Capitol (2013), and with Jeffrey Tan on Command Pattern (2013) which incorporated technology with dance. He was also commissioned by the Singapore Writers’ Festival in 2012 to choreograph City of Desire, a piece inspired by literary artist Gopal Baratham’s short stories.

Young Artist Award

2012

Winner

Genevieve Chua
Diploma in Fine Arts, Class of 2004

Genevieve’s works span a variety of mediums including drawing, photography, and installation. She has exhibited extensively, with solo exhibitions at the Singapore Biennale 2011 and Objectifs; and has developed works at residencies in Singapore Tyler Print Institute, The Banff Centre, Gyeonggi Creation Center and C-C-C Shizuoka. She was also a recipient of the NAC Georgette Chen Scholarship in 2003/4.

Tan Wee Lit
BA(Hons) Fine Arts, Class of 2003

Wee Lit graduated with a BA(Hons) Fine Arts (with Distinction) from LASALLE. Awarded an Overseas Scholarship Grant by the Media Development Authority Singapore, he went on to obtain a Masters of Fine Art from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He is currently the Head of Visual Arts at School Of The Arts.

Zhuo Zihao
Diploma in Dance, Class of 2002

Zihao is well-known as the lead dancer of T.H.E Dance Company. He has been invited to perform in numerous overseas festivals including Guangdong Modern Dance Festival, as well as residencies in Hong Kong and Australia.

He co-choreographed Within.Without for the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival in 2009. In 2010, he ventured into experimental dance and 3D technology in his innovative work Contemplation. During the Singapore Arts Festival in 2011, Zihao co-choreographed one of the acts In the Middle. Zihao also trains students under ITE’s co-curricular programme. In 2007, he was awarded an arts bursary by the National Arts Council to pursue a Dance degree at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.